INDUSTRY NEWS: Mystery Object in Near-collision May
Be Russian UCAV
New England | Career Fair
The New England Campus will be hosting a Career Fair for current students and alumni on June 5, 2014. Companies from all over the aviation industry will be gathering at the Lincoln North Campus from 10 AM to 2 PM. As of now, companies will include ATLAS, Aerotek, Abel Womack, Cape Air, Endeavour, JetBlue, UPS, Air Wisconsin, General Atomics, SkyWest, Middlesex and LiveTV. This is always a great time to come out and meet hiring managers for your future career.
New England | Car Show
JOIN US for the 7th Annual Auto & Moto Show on June 7, 2014. This is one of the biggest Open House events of the year. Featuring both imports and classics, register your car at the Auto & Moto Show site. Come on out for food, entertainment, raffles and awards. All proceeds benefit JDRF.
Tampa Bay | Avionics' Class Visits Pemco
Pemco CEO Bill Meehan talks to 8th Term Avionics students during a private tour at the Tampa International Airport. (Photo: James Clary)
On Wednesday, May 14, 2014, the eighth term avionics class from NAA visited the Pemco World Air Services (PEMCO) hangars to tour the facility and learn more about the company. With five decades of tested and proven aircraft support, PEMCO is a major provider of aircraft maintenance and engineered services to commercial air carriers in North America.
An alumnus of NAA sits on top of a commercial jet that is in for overhaul
and conversion. (Photo: James Clary)
PEMCO has become an undisputed world leader in passenger-to-freighter conversions (second only to Boeing). PEMCO is headquartered in Tampa, Florida with partner operations in Asia. Handling maintenance like cargo modifications, interior reconfiguration, and avionics upgrades, students were able to see a vast range of duties taken on by a leading maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility.
New England | Retirement
New England Director of Education Paul Torpey poses with a gift from the
NAA staff. (Photo: Jim McNeill)
On April 30, 2014, New England Director of Education Paul Torpey retired for the second time. Paul returned to NAA in August of 2013, and has since made vital contributions to the success of the New England campus. His presence as inspirational figure to students and staff will be sincerely missed. Many thanks for your hard work and dedication, Mr. Paul Torpey. Well wishes in your retirement.
Mystery Object in Near-collision May Be Russian UCAV
The Skat UCAV was revealed in 2007 by the MiG bureau, but has not been seen
in public since then.
The Russian unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) program revealed as long ago as 2007 might have reached the flight-test phase. The evidence comes from a near midair over Arkhangelskoye on February 17, reported by the pilots of two L-29 jet trainers belonging to a civilian flying club based at the Barataevka airfield near Ulyanovsk. The L-29 pilots rapidly altered heading and altitude to escape collision with an unidentified flying object that they described as “a heavyweight unmanned air vehicle.”
The object was also detected by ATC radar, flying at 270 knots and nearly 7,000 feet. Approaching the L-29s from the rear, it might have flown into them if not for the controller warning the pilots. The object proceeded in the direction of Penza and disappeared from the radar screen. The pilots’ description indicates it was a jet-powered UCAV with swept wings. In theory, it might be an old Tupolev Tu-143 Reis reconnaissance UAV or a newer Tu-300 Korshun experimental UAV made during 1990s. But local media reported that the mysterious object bore greater similarity to the Skat.
The Russian defense ministry denied knowledge of the incident. Just days before the incident, defense minister Sergei Shoigu told journalists that funding of 320 billion roubles ($9 billion) for new UAV designs has been approved, with deliveries due by 2020. The Russian armed forces already operate about 500 UAVs, but “not all of them are proving up to requirements,” Shoigu said.
Read more...
SRQ CEO Touts Big Screen, Internal Ad Agency
A large wall over the down escalator to baggage claim at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport could be home to a giant, high-resolution screen that would host advertising potentially worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to the airport.
May 20--MANATEE -- Airline passengers on their way to collect their bags at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport may one day have an extra-large run-in with advertisers on the escalator.
During a Monday workshop session with the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority Board of Directors, airport CEO Rick Piccolo unveiled a novel idea: Purchase and install a $400,000 supersized video screen to display ads to arriving travelers as they ride the airport's down escalator. At the same time, hire ad sales people to airport staff to sell enough ads to make SRQ's equivalent of a Jumbotron profitable.
The screen, and the advertising push would be part of the airport's new shift toward being more entrepreneurial, Piccolo said. At present, the airport earns around $100,000 a year on ads placed around the airport terminal. National media company Clear Channel sells and creates those ads, acting as the airport's de facto advertising agency.
Piccolo said the deal with Clear Channel only looks good on the surface. In his comments to the board members, he pointed out that Clear Channel earns the bulk of advertising revenues, which generate around $350,000 annually. As the airport moves toward signing a new agreement with airlines that requires the airport to share less of its revenue with the air carriers, Piccolo said high-impact advertising sold and developed inhouse stands a great chance of giving the airport a significant income stream.
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General Electric J85 Engine
(Photo courtesy of GE)
The General Electric J85 was originally developed to power a decoy drone that would protect B-52 bombers from incoming surface-to-air missiles. The military was soon making use of the small turbojet engine to power the Northrop T-38 Talon and F-5. The civilian version of the engine, the CJ610, became a mainstay of early corporate aviation in the first Lears and the Hansa Jet.
Today the J85 powers Scaled Composites' White Knight, the carrier airplane for SpaceShipOne. It has also been chosen for planned reproductions of the German Me 262 from an Everett, Washington, company. The U.S. Air Force plans to keep the engines in service through 2040, a testament to the J85’s longevity and durability.
Kondor Taube II
The Kondor Taube resembled other monoplanes of this type in the shape of its wings and their bracing, but an attempt was made to provide a better streamline fuselage. This member in the Kondor Taube was of circular section, with openings cut out of the top for the engine, passenger and pilot.
The chassis was somewhat similar to that of the early Blackburn monoplane, and although appearing to be particularly strong would seem to offer a considerable amount of head resistance. The tubular axle was slung from the two short skids by means of rubber shock absorbers.
The flexing elevator formed a continuation of the fixed portion of the horizontal tail plane, and symmetrically divided rudders and vertical tail fins were fitted above and below the tail plane. Evidently the reduction of head resistance obtained by the circular fuselage was more than counteracted by the complicated chassis and wing bracing, for the speed of the machine with an 100 hp Mercedes engine was only just over 60 mph (97 kmh).
Gary Burrell and Min Kao
(Kao pictured on the left, Burrel pictured on the right. Photo courtesy of Garmin.)
Legend has it that the idea for avionics powerhouse Garmin arose from the scrawls on the back of a napkin at a Lenexa, Kansas, Red Lobster restaurant. It was the late 1980s and two Bendix/King engineers, Gary Burrell and Min Kao, had tried unsuccessfully to convince their bosses that the company should be investing in a new navigation technology known as GPS.
The higher ups at Bendix/King scoffed at the idea, and so Burrell and Kao hatched a plan to start their own company, originally called ProNav. Their first product, the GPS 100 panel-mount receiver, was an immediate hit.
A company called NavPro soon sued over the name, and so it was subsequently changed to Garmin — a combination of the founders’ first names. Garmin’s first handheld GPS proved popular with military personnel during the 1991 Gulf War.
The company cemented its place in aviation with the revolutionary GNS 430 and 530 GPS/navcom navigators and, a few years later, the G1000 integrated avionics system. Burrell has since retired while Kao remains Garmin’s executive chairman, helping the company expand into a wide range of avionics markets, including integrated systems for Part 25 jets.
George Nelson, Executive Vice President, addresses new business with the student council members. (Photo: Charlie Beauchamp)
The Tuesday afternoon meeting brought on many new business ideas. The 27 students and staff addressed each item individually and thoroughly. New talks began about each member of student council receiving a special pin or medal for the graduation ceremony. George Nelson, Executive Vice President, also told student council that they would be receiving an office for them to utilize during down time. The next student council meeting is June 17, 2014.
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